Shout out to my girls, 2browneyes and Sunshine1220, for reading through this before I slap it up on FF :P

Alice lets out a gasp that ricochets through the phone and bounces off the walls of my room. "No!"

"Please tell me you're joking," Rosalie says, and she shifts the phone, bringing it so close I can only see her face.

"I wish I could."

It starts with a snort before peals of laughter break out between the girls. The phone bounces, giving me small peeks of their over the top reactions. I sigh, allowing them a moment to get it out of their system. I can see where someone might find it funny, as I would've if it happened to someone else. As it is now, I'm scarred for life.

"All right. Knock it off," I say after several minutes of enduring their uncontrollable laughter. "It was awful, guys." I'm whining now, but I can't help it.

"Wait a minute," Alice says, grabbing the phone, her eyes wide. "When did you say this happened?"

"Friday." I sound like a petulant kid.

"Oh my God," she responds, the last part coming out muffled as her hand covers her mouth.

"You had to stay with him for two more days," Rose clarifies, taking the phone and pulling it back so I can see both of them. "How were you able to face him and not lose your shit?"

"Does he know you heard them?" Alice asks, seemingly horrified by the prospect.

"No," I say, practically yelling it in my stress. It's bad enough that I heard what I did, but add in my dad knowing, and I think I'd have to disown him. "He has no idea, and it'll stay that way."

"So what did you do when you saw him?" Rose asks, and she's oddly entranced by the whole horrid episode. "How could you look at him and not puke, or turn red, or burst out laughing?"

Charlie's grunt echoes in the confines of my head, and I squint my eyes closed to push away the image my mind wants to conjure. It's an awful feeling to know that just by remembering the incident at all, my psyche will add images to go with the sound, even though I've never seen either of them without clothes.

"I avoided eye contact as much as possible," I say, sighing heavily. "My dad's not a real talker anyway, but I think he noticed how much time I spent with Edward, even though I was supposed to be there to visit him." I scrub my hand through my hair. "I couldn't stop my face from burning red every time I was around him."

"And Edward?" Alice asks. "How did he do?"

"It's obviously different for men." I roll my eyes. "Don't get me wrong. He was quick to follow me out the door, but I think he was embarrassed more than grossed out. By Sunday, I'm pretty sure he might've even been proud of Charlie." I shake my head. "Anyway, it was weird and gross and awful, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to put it behind me."

"Oh, Bella," Alice says, and her voice is soft, sympathetic. "It'll be okay. The time between now and Christmas will give you the opportunity to lock it away somewhere to never be remembered again."

"I don't know," I hedge, fighting off that ugly image that always wants to surface. "It feels like it'll never go away."

"Sure it will," Rose breaks in, her tone brisk, no-nonsense. "Besides, that's what we're here for."

She changes the subject easily, going into a story about Emmett and his new obsession with the gym. He's always been a big guy, but apparently he's turning into a "wall of muscle," and that comes with its own problems. Like unexpectedly breaking things. She talks of how he tore the knob off their apartment door and shut a cabinet door hard enough to split the wood. By the time she's done mimicking him after each incident, I'm holding my sides from laughing so hard.

"Can you imagine how I feel every time he hugs me?" Alice asks with a snort. "I'm practically suffocated by his huge bicep."

My laughter trails off as nostalgia settles in. "I miss you guys."

"Oh, sweetie," Rose says, her voice soft and caring. "We miss you, too. All of you. Riley isn't a very good replacement."

"Bitch." Alice shoves Rosalie, and they break into a mock battle. The phone is tossed to the side to leave me staring at a white ceiling. "Take that back."

"Never!"

Their laughter echoes through the video, and I join in, wishing I could actually see the tussle. Alice is a wisp of a girl, and Rosalie is a glamazon. She's close to six feet tall with toned muscles and curves in all the right places.

"All right, girls," I interrupt, stifling my laughter. "Break it up. I know I'm irreplaceable, but surely Riley has some great characteristics or Alice wouldn't give him the time of day."

"I suppose," Rose replies, begrudgingly, straightening her shirt as she lifts the phone and comes back into view. "He's really good when it comes to cramming for exams."

"And …" Alice nudges her shoulder, prodding Rose to admit something else.

I'm intrigued.

"All right, all right." Rose rolls her eyes, but it's clear she doesn't really mean it. "He also makes a decent boxed brownie." I gasp, and she rushes ahead. "They're nowhere near as good as your brownies, Bella. Emmett can only stomach one or two at a—" Alice elbows her in the stomach, and she grunts. "Oof."

"Oh my God." My gasp turns into a full belly laugh. "Stop it. You're cracking me up."

"Made you forget about your dad," Rose replies, lifting a brow.

My smile falls as that stupid image pops into my mind. "Well it had."

"We called for a reason," Alice sing-songs, recapturing my attention and again allowing me to forget about the awful episode. "We want to see you, and since you're out on the fourteenth, we were hoping we could come for the weekend."

"Aw, guys." The back of my eyes burn, and I blink furiously. "But that's the weekend before your finals. You'll need that time for studying."

"Nonsense." Rosalie's voice is brisk and leaves no room for argument. "We have two perfectly good weekends between now and then. We'll use them for studying. "

"When will you get here?" I ask, my excitement building. "And who's coming? Just you two, or are you bringing the guys?"

Rosalie mocks a heavy sigh. "Oh, how I tried to leave the men behind, but Emmett was having none of it. He misses you as much as we do."

"Riley's still unsure whether he can make it, but I'll let you know sometime between now and then," Alice pipes up. "He's working on a team project for his Physics final, and it'll depend on if they can it done before then."

"Sounds good." I nod along. "I'll be so happy to see my girls that I won't care whether Riley comes or not." Feeling rude, I rush to add, "No offense to him."

"None taken, girl," Alice says, smiling. "I can't wait for you guys to give us the grand tour of Seattle."

"Crap." I palm my forehead. "Are you sure a tour of U-Dub isn't enough?"

"Tell me you're joking," Rose hisses, her tone an admonishment. "Don't you go on dates?"

"Yes," I reply calmly. "We do go on dates, but Edward usually plans them, and they're at places I'm unfamiliar with. Aside from the local spots near college, my only recollection of Seattle is how to get to the mall from Forks."

"Oh, you poor thing." Alice sounds truly broken-hearted for me, and I roll my eyes. I have more important things to do with my time than to explore Seattle. "I'll hit Google and find us a couple things to do while we're there."

"Don't make us too busy." I stop her before her head gets in the clouds. "I'd love to cook dinner for everyone, and I'll have to speak with Edward, but I think his condo is the perfect place. As a matter of fact, he may even want to offer you guys a place to stay."

"I don't know, Bella," Rose says, and the hesitance in her voice irritates me more than it should.

"Why not?" I ask, my tone sharper than I intend. "Do you have unresolved feelings where he's concerned?"

"Not at all," she quickly replies, shaking her head. "But we also haven't spent much time around him since the incident. You, him, Jasper; you all dropped out of our lives so abruptly. Just … you talk with him and we'll speak among ourselves to come up with a solution that works for everyone."

"Fair enough," I concede. "I'm excited to tell him you're coming. I mean, we both have friends here, but it's not the same as it was with our group back in Providence."

"I guess you guys really are okay, huh?" Alice asks, her tone full of nostalgia. "Have you spoken with Jasper yet?"

"I haven't." I take a deep breath and expel it, feeling no ill will or bitterness at the question or even Jasper himself. "But I have a feeling it's coming soon, and I'm ready. For Edward and me, we've pretty much moved beyond the whole situation, but it's hard to consider it completely over without resolving things with Jasper. So yeah." I nod, feeling confident. "I'm ready."

"Wow," Rose says, her expression filled with awe. "I can't wait to witness this transformation in person. We never got to experience the happy-couple Edward and Bella, and it sounds like it's going to be an amazing sight." She pauses, emitting a girlish squeal. "I'm so freaking happy for you two."

I can't stop my smile. "I'm happy, too."

"I always wondered why you two never hooked up, and now that I know, it's just …" Alice says, sighing. "I'm sorry things went down the way they did."

"It's cool," I respond, waving her off. "I mean, it's not, but"—I catch myself, shaking my head with a smile—"it really is." A relieved laugh bursts from inside me. "I'm over it," I say with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong, it sucked, but I'm not sure there was an easy route with the way this unfolded."

Rosalie snorts. "The truth wouldn't have hurt."

"Right," I agree, knowing full well it would've made all the difference in the world. "But we're beyond that now. I've forgiven him, and it feels good."

"And that's all that matters," she adds. "At the end of the day, it's not anyone else's business."

"Not really." I sigh, rolling over and holding the phone above me. "Which is why I know I'm ready to face Jasper. I want it all behind us."

"What does Edward say?" Alice asks.

"He's asked me to come to Chicago after Christmas, and I haven't answered yet, but I think I'm going to have him reach out to Jasper about it, see what he thinks."

"Do you think he'd deny you?" Rose practically spits, her lips pursing into a tight bud of distaste.

"Not at all," I say, smiling at her huffed-up self. "At least, I don't think so, but who knows? I am the other woman in this scenario."

"Yeah, no," she snaps, crossing her arms in a huff. "What he did to you was horrible, and he knew you had no clue, so he doesn't get to act like the wounded party here."

"I'm not saying he will," I soothe, keeping my tone soft. "I just haven't even mentioned it to Edward yet. That's how new this thought process is."

"Fine." She uncrosses her arms in favor of lobbing a pointer finger my way. "Just don't you dare let Jasper make you feel like you have anything to apologize for."

"I can't promise I won't apologize, but I can promise it won't be because I'm taking the blame for what happened between him and Edward." I pause, my heart aching for Jasper, even after what he did. "He lost something important to him and in the worst way. I am sorry Edward wasn't honest with him from the start."

"It would be so easy to blame Jasper and excuse Edward, but you aren't doing that," Alice says, shifting the phone her way. "You're holding Edward accountable, yet you're also still able to forgive him completely. I'm not sure I could be so gracious."

"I know Edward didn't mean for any of it to happen," I respond, ordering my thoughts. "Even without knowing the truth of why, Edward made a proposal, and I accepted. I was there with him. I watched and felt and hoped for all the things that developed between us, but I also knew in my bones that something wasn't right. He wanted to be with me, but something was holding him back. I didn't know what it could possibly be, and I never imagined …"

"No one did," Rose says, finishing my thought.

"He loves me," I say, pushing past the things that can't hurt me anymore. "I feel it every time he looks my way. It's in his every touch and action. I don't know what our future looks like, but I do know we have one, and it'll be together."

"Sounds like he isn't the only one in love," Alice sing-songs, making a kissy face.

I bark a laugh at her antics, but my reply is the easiest thing I've ever said. "He isn't. I'm so in love with Edward Cullen."

"We're happy for you," Rose says and then rushes on, "but forget the love, tell us about the sex."

My laugh is instinctual due to the eager way she skipped right to the nitty gritty, but now I'm going to have to break her heart. "There hasn't been any."

"Ever?" Alice asks, her brows furrowing in disappointment.

"Alice." Rosalie shoves her shoulder against her. "We know they had sex before."

"Riiight," Alice says, nodding at Rose before turning to me. "But none since you've gotten back together?"

"Not yet."

"And the reason being …" Rose prompts, hiking her brow.

"At first, Edward was insistent we wait because he felt he needed to prove something, but now we've grown into this mutual understanding." It's hard to explain to others as Edward and I haven't discussed it, but we also don't need to. We're on the same page. "We'll know when the time is right."

"You're no fun." Rosalie mock pouts. "I suppose I can regale you guys with other changes Emmett is undergoing."

"Please, no!" Alice practically yells. "You don't want to know this, Bella. Make her to stop." The phone lands face down on the bed, and the next thing I hear is Alice babbling incessantly—blah, blah, blah, blah—I can only assume she has her fingers in her ears.

A giggle erupts before turning into fits of laughter. I can't even begin to imagine what Rosalie could possibly have to share, but judging by Alice's reaction, I also don't want to.

"All right, you two." Rosalie lifts the discarded phone with a dramatic sigh. "I guess I'll keep all the juicy details to myself."

"Juicy." Alice giggle-snorts. "Suuure."

The three of us share another round of laughter before trailing off. "I can't wait to see you guys," I say, sitting up and mentally preparing myself to say goodbye. "I'll talk to Edward in the next couple of days, and let's do this again one evening later this week."

"Works for me," Rose says.

"Same here," Alice agrees.

"It's settled, then," I say, smiling. "I hereby declare this our new weekly tradition."

"It's hard to say goodbye," Alice whines.

"Then don't," I reply. "I'll talk to you later."

I hit end and toss my cell on the bed beside me with a sigh. It feels so good to be able to connect with Alice and Rose in this way. There are no landmines lingering around to blow a good conversation to smithereens. Everything is completely okay now for the first time in a long time. There's only one more person to speak with, and I'm ready to face him.

Jasper.

The following day at lunch, I inform Edward of my decision, and he doesn't even seem surprised. He takes my hand and plants a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist. "I always knew you'd get there. You're an amazingly intuitive person, and it's one of the things I love most about you." He leans in, his bright green eyes sincere. "Jasper should consider himself a lucky man. I know I do."

I mimic him by leaning so that our faces are inches apart. "Maybe not just yet." I press my lips to the corner of his pretty mouth. "He hurt me. Badly."

"I know." His jaw ticks. "It's still hard for me to not get angry every time I think about it, but then I just feel stupid." He grips my chin, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. "I caused all that pain, for everyone."

I grab his wrist and push his palm up to cup my cheek, my own hand pressing against his. "You did, and I assume you've made it right with Jasper the same as you have me."

His lips tick up at the corners. "Well, not the same way …"

"Good." I press a quick kiss to his pretty mouth and lean back. "I'd hate to have to hurt you."

He tosses his head back with a carefree laugh, and all I can focus on is the sharpness of his jaw and the curved line of his throat. "You know," I say, my voice low as I look to make sure no one near is paying us any attention. "I was thinking we should try that clothes on, heavy petting thing again."

His laughter abruptly stops, and his eyes darken as they pass over me. "Second or third base?"

I shrug, licking my lips. "We'll just have to see where it goes."

In the days since the incident in Forks, all attempts at moving beyond a deep kiss have fizzled because I haven't been able get that stupid noise out of my head. But my talk with the girls helped last night, without me even realizing at the time what was happening. The thing with Charlie doesn't seem so front and center anymore. Beautiful things are happening with a beautiful man, and that's the most important thing right now.

It rises above all the clutter.

"When and where?"

"How does Friday night, your place, sound?"

He runs his tongue along his bottom lip. "Not as good as tonight."

My cheeks heat. "I have to put the final touches on my Feature Writing paper, but you're welcome to come be room candy while I work."

"Room candy?" He lifts a sexy brow.

"Yeah, you sit around and look amazing while I slave over the tiny details."

"Wouldn't that make me a distraction?"

"I prefer the term motivator."

His boyish grin reaches inside and twists me into knots. "Then by all means, count me in."

Woot! I was able to get this one done for you over the past couple days, and I see how we'll make it to that ending I've always envisioned for these two since I decided to continue it. I'm thinking 4 more chapters, give or take.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention RUSH one more time. A HUGE thank you to everyone who purchased the book, and I'd like to beg you to PLEASE leave me an honest review once you've read it. Reviews mean the world to an indie author. I'm going to offer up one more teaser, and it's never been posted anywhere else …

The tension is too powerful for him, though, and he shoves my back against the door. "Jesus, doc. It's so fucking hard sometimes." He breathes deeply through his nose. "All the fucking time."

"Stop fighting it, then," I whisper, cursing myself as soon as the words leave my lips.

"I can't," he groans, and it's a pain-filled sound. "I'm a black hole, and if you get too close, I'll only swallow you."

"I won't let you." I'm almost pleading, knowing who he is and what he's capable of, or more importantly, what he isn't capable of. It's like I'm begging him to break me, and I can't stop myself.

He tilts his chin upward, looking to the ceiling, before bringing his tortured eyes back to mine. "Our friendship is the most intimate connection in my life."

My stomach tightens.

Leaning down, he presses a kiss to my forehead before wrenching himself away. "And I can't afford to lose it."

See you as soon as I can :)